Macroglossia is a condition where a patient has an enlarged tongue. The enlarged tongue may contribute to hypopharyngeal obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Reducing tongue base may help mitigate hypopharyngeal obstructive sleep apnea associated with macroglossia. Therefore conventional techniques for reducing tongue base developed over time. These conventional techniques for reducing tongue base included manual surgical resection, unguided ablation, and so on. Unguided ablations have conventionally been performed using a transoral approach. Since these approaches may have been unguided, undesirable results may have occurred. For example, ablations may have occurred in undesired areas, ablations may not have removed a desired amount of tissue, ablations may have removed too much tissue, and so on.
Ablation has been used for treating humans in a number of ways. Ablative techniques in the human body not directed at treating OSA have included radiofrequency (RF) based ablation, laser based ablation, ultrasound based ablation, and so on. These ablations have reduced tumor volume, have reduced normal tissue volume, have severed nerves, and so on. However, many of these ablations have been unguided. Those that have been guided may have been visually guided or guided by non-real time magnetic resonance (MR). Due at least in part to the limitations associated with unguided or minimally guided techniques, conventionally, only small controlled ablation zones have been created. Conventionally, ablation zone size has been limited, at least in part, due to the accuracy with which a device can be positioned, repositioned, and controlled during a procedure. Similarly, ablation zone shape has been limited, at least in part, due to the precision with which a device can be controlled. To the extent that ablations have been used to reduce tongue base, ablations have been performed in the neurovascular bundles and tongue mucosa. These ablations in the neurovascular bundles and tongue mucosa have conventionally been made under direct visual control. While useful and valuable, limitations associated with visual positioning, guidance, control, and so on, may have produced sub-optimal results. Additionally, performing ablations in the mucosa may have had undesirable results.
Previous systems for general, non-OSA treating ablations include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,246,896, titled MRI guided ablation system. This type of system includes a coil in an RF, non-laser, ablation device. Previous systems also include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,522, titled MRI-guided therapeutic unit and methods. This type of system involves ultrasound based ablation. Even lasers have been used with MRI guidance for ablation as described in MRI-guided laser ablation of fibroids may provide alternative to hysterectomy, by John Griffiths (Human Reproduction 2002; 17:2737-2741). However, none of these techniques describe real-time guidance to treat OSA.